Air Serbia Exits Etihad Guest, Launches Loyalty Program: What You Should Know About Elevate

Air Serbia has been tied to Etihad Guest since 2013, but that era is over.

The Serbian national carrier has cut ties with the Abu Dhabi-based program and launched its own frequent flyer program called Elevate. If you’ve been earning Etihad Guest miles on Air Serbia flights, your window to transfer your status and miles to the new program is open until September 16, 2026 — so there’s no time to waste.

How Elevate Works

Elevate is structured around 4 tiers: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Blue is the entry level and, notably, it’s guaranteed for life; your membership never expires. To climb higher, you’ll need to accumulate Tier Points or hit flight segment thresholds: 5,000 Tier Points or 12 segments for Bronze, 10,000 Tier Points or 24 segments for Silver, and 15,000 Tier Points or 36 segments for Gold.

Earning Points

Points are earned on the base fare of Air Serbia flights — excluding taxes and fees — and only on flights marketed and operated by Air Serbia (tickets beginning with 115). Codeshare and interline flights are currently out, though Air Serbia says they’ll be added over time. The base earning rate is 4 points per 100 Serbian dinars (roughly $1) at Blue, scaling up to 5 points at Bronze, 6 points at Silver, and 8 points at Gold.

On top of that, multipliers layer in additional earning potential. Business class passengers get a cabin multiplier of 10% to 50%, depending on tier. Economy Comfort and Freedom fares earn a flat 20% bonus regardless of tier. Book directly through Air Serbia’s website, app, call center, or retail offices, and you’ll pick up an additional 5% direct sales bonus.

Beyond flights, Elevate also awards points for ancillary purchases: extra baggage, seat selection, lounge access, priority services, sports equipment, and more. That’s a nice touch. It means your everyday add-ons are working for you, not just your base fare.

Using Your Points

Points can be redeemed for Air Serbia flights, upgrades, or ancillaries. The same rule applies on the redemption side: only Air Serbia-operated flights, and points cover the base fare only, not taxes and fees. No blackout dates apply, which is a genuine positive. Availability mirrors what’s bookable with cash.

The not-so-great news is this: Online redemption isn’t live yet. For now, everything runs through the Contact Center or a retail office, which is a meaningful step backward from what most travelers expect in 2026. Air Serbia says online booking with points is coming, but there’s no firm timeline.

Elite Benefits Worth Noting

Silver is where things get interesting. At 10,000 Tier Points or 24 segments, members unlock lounge access at Belgrade (BEG) airport, a free checked bag (23 kilograms, roughly 50 pounds), complimentary standard seat selection, and — importantly — Tier Points rollover. That last one matters. Unused qualifying points carry forward rather than resetting to zero, which gives Silver members a head start on the next status year.

Gold adds fast track at Belgrade, priority seat selection, and lounge access across the route network where available. Bronze delivers priority check-in, priority boarding (currently promotional), and priority baggage tagging — solid perks for a midtier status.

The program’s biggest structural weakness is its lack of partner airlines at launch. Etihad Guest offered access to nearly 30 partner carriers. Elevate, for now, is Air Serbia and nothing else. That’s a significant downgrade for anyone who used Etihad Guest to earn or burn across a broader network, and it’s a reality check on the program’s current value.

Final Thoughts

Elevate is a reasonable start for a carrier building its own loyalty infrastructure from scratch. The earning structure is logical, the no-blackout-date redemption policy is genuinely member-friendly, and Silver’s Tier Points rollover shows some thoughtfulness in the program design.

But without partner airlines and with online redemption still not available, Elevate is a limited program right now. If you fly Air Serbia regularly — particularly in and out of Belgrade — it’s worth joining. Everyone else should watch and wait.